Week 14 TNF features two teams looking to keep their playoff hopes alive
USA TODAY Sports’ Chris Bumbaca and Prince Grimes break down the huge Thursday night matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Detroit Lions.
The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys have played more Thanksgiving games than any other NFL team in league history.
A week after thrilling games on the holiday, the two teams meet in a “Thursday Night Football” game with massive implications in the NFC playoff race.
Detroit put up 352 yards of offense at home against Green Bay on Thanksgiving but couldn’t contain Micah Parsons. Big sacks and pressures on key downs led to a 31-24 loss – the Lions’ third in the last five games which moves them to 7-5 and officially “in the hunt” for a wild-card spot in the NFC.
By contrast, the Cowboys continue their torrid run after their Week 10 bye with a third win in a row over Kansas City on Thanksgiving. Dallas overcame a four-touchdown performance by Patrick Mahomes to earn a 31-28 win over the defending AFC champions. That victory moves them to 6-5-1 and right behind the Lions in the wild card race.
It’s another tough year in the NFC to make the playoffs. Entering Week 14, six of the seven teams in playoff position have at least eight wins. One result can cause a massive swing in playoff positioning. If Chicago loses to the Packers on Sunday, the Bears could fall from the No. 1 seed entering the week to as low as No. 7.
In a tight race like this, tie-breakers loom even larger than usual with the Lions trying to get back into the postseason. Here’s a look at the NFC North standings, the NFC playoff picture overall and how tiebreakers work in the NFL.
NFC North standings
It’s another competitive year in the NFC North in 2025. Here’s how the standings look entering Week 14:
NFC North division winner odds
The Packers are the favorites to win the NFC North according to odds from BetMGM Sportsbook. Below is a look at each team’s chances of winning what might be the NFL’s best division.
Green Bay Packers: (-140)Chicago Bears: (+150)Detroit Lions: (+900)NFC playoff pictureChicago Bears (9-3; NFC North leaders)Los Angeles Rams (9-3; NFC West leaders)Philadelphia Eagles (8-4; NFC East leaders)Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5; NFC South leaders)Seattle Seahawks (9-3, wild card No. 1)Green Bay Packers (8-3-1, wild card No. 2)San Francisco 49ers (9-4, wild card No. 3)
In the hunt: Detroit Lions (7-5); Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1); Carolina Panthers (7-6); Atlanta Falcons (4-8); Minnesota Vikings (4-8); Washington Commanders (3-9).
NFL playoff tiebreakers
With five games to go in the regular season, the Lions are well in contention for both the division title and a playoff spot. The former may be tough given their 1-3 division record but not impossible. There are different tiebreaking procedures for the division and wild-card races. Here’s a look at both:
Division tiebreakersHead-to-head resultsDivision recordWin percentage against common opponentsWin percentage against conference opponentsStrength of victory in all gamesStrength of schedule in all gamesBest combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed in all gamesBest combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed in all gamesBest net points against common opponentsBest net points in all gamesBest net touchdowns in all gamesA coin flip.Wild-card tiebreakers
Note: this is for teams not in the same division. If that is the case, the division tiebreakers are used.
Head-to-head results (if applicable)Win percentage against conference opponentsWin percentage record against common opponentsStrength of victory in all gamesStrength of schedule in all gamesBest combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed in all gamesBest combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed in all gamesBest net points against common opponentsBest net points in all gamesBest net touchdowns in all gamesA coin flip.
Unfortunately, the Lions enter Week 14 with the worst win percentage (1-3) in their division. That doesn’t entirely doom the team’s conference win percentage (4-4) but puts them behind current wild card teams Seattle (5-3 in-conference), Green Bay (6-2-1) and San Francisco (8-2). That could spell trouble for their wild-card hopes.